Backpacker Magazine – April 2009

Gear Guide 2009: MSR Dragontail Tent Review

This winter tent is long, lean, and livable.

by: Kelly Bastone

Tags:
• Gear Review
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• Gear
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• Tents
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• Mountaineering
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• Winter Camping
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Long and Lean
This single-wall is ultralight and ultralong. The 90-inch floor length accommodated our tallest testers (though width is merely average at 50 inches). But the length, plus an enormous 14-square-foot vestibule, makes the Dragontail extremely livable for such a light winter tent. Ventilation is excellent for a single-wall; we had no condensation even in the humid winter conditions of Vermont's Green Mountains, thanks to the ceiling's end-to-end mesh panel.

Headroom is outstanding, but the solid structure easily repelled swirling, multi-directional winds. The hoop-style tent, though not freestanding, pitches fast even in windy conditions. Only drawback: The total length, including vestibule (149 inches), won't always fit on little ledges. $480; 4 lbs. 6 oz. Msrgear.com

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